Tilapia: The next generation of Band-Aids?

Tilapia is a popular fish, one that you’ll often find on the menu. But this fish might become much more popular, because it’s possible that tilapia could help heal your wounds, as well!

Collagen is a major structural protein in animals. It’s known that applying collagen to a wound can help the skin heal faster. The problem is that if you use collagen dressings that come from mammals (like cows and pigs), it’s possible that the protein dressing itself could transmit disease such as foot-and-mouth disease.

Because of the potential for problems with mammal collagen dressings, researchers started looking at fish as a possible solution. Laboratory studies have shown promise! Cell studies show that tilapia collagen is unlikely to cause an immune reaction, and when researchers used nanofibers from tilapia collagen to cover skin wounds on rats, they found that the dressed wounds healed much faster than those without it.

Who knows? Tilapia could possibly become even more popular, as researchers hope that laboratory studies might indicate the potential for success in human patients. Read more about this research here.